Stunned Ten Hag makes plans, as Madrid and Barca shock the rest of the game

The Independent’s football newsletter [SUBSCRIBE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( April 21, 2023 [View in browser](   [The Independent]( [The Independent]( Stunned Ten Hag makes plans, as Madrid and Barca shock the game End of Europa League run means end of road for some United players [Erik ten Hag is furious at the number of times Manchester United](have been embarrassed this summer. While few will see this as too much of an excuse given the expense of the squad, he feels it shows how only a certain proportion of the players are really capable of playing the tactical idea he wants. It means, despite how big their squad is, they don’t actually that much in terms of what they need. The big question this summer almost isn’t purchases, but how adept United are at getting rid of players. That might be the biggest task. Bayern Munich pose biggest threat to big target As regards incomings, United could have [considerable competition from Bayern Munich](for Victor Osimhen. The German champions see the Nigerian as precisely the player to pin together a super-fast attack, and they have the budget. The Independent reported last week that will try for Harry Kane but with the Tottenham Hotspur striker virtually certain to ultimately stay in England - and Daniel Levy not letting him go to United - it may see an auction for Osimhen. He looks set to be the big target of the summer,[with Napoli realising one big sale]( can allow rebuilding business elsewhere. Storm on pitch allows calmness in Chelsea manager hunt The chaos on the pitch at [Chelsea has seen some relative quiet for the managerial search](, but work continues with the sporting directors cutting down the list. The club hierarchy deny any favourites but [Mauricio Pochettino could well have leapt to the top of it](. He has had further talks with Todd Boehly this week, and the co-owner is increasingly struck by how he meets the club's requirements - especially as regards developing young players into a competitive squad. Julian Nagelsmann is being heavily pushed, but there isn’t unanimity about him and he still isn’t sure himself. Luis Enrique is understood to have had too many demands. Some within the game see Pochettino as "increasingly likely", but similar was said about the Spanish manager, and the situation has proven relatively changeable so far as Chelsea seek to thoroughly consider all options. New levels somehow reached in football's grandest - and yet most farcical - rivalry The football world remains shocked at [Real Madrid’s video about Barcelona earlier this week](, especially given how close the clubs have been at executive level over the past two years. This looked like open war again. It wasn’t quite fully open, though, as some aspects of it were unsurprising. Neither Joan Laporta nor Florentino Perez have directly called each other out, and the dynamic is being described from within as “multi-layered diplomacy”. The two clubs are aggravated about all of the politics around the Negreira case, and both know they have to appeak to certain sections of their fanbase, but they also know how symbiotic their relationship now is - not least as regards the Super League project. Players come together for Turkey and Syria A number of players have come together to raise funds for those affected earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, launching a charity shirt auction under Unique Sports Management. Those looking to help and pick up a special shirt can check out [here](.   Top stories [The missing piece of Arsenal’s title bid]( [Harry Maguire finally hits rock bottom for broken Manchester United](     Miguel's Dispatches It’s got to the point at Stamford Bridge where some football figures and media attending stay watching for whether Boehly and the some of the hierarchy will cross the pitch at the end of the game, to go into the dressing room. Word has got around from that team talk. Many there from Madrid on Tuesday were fascinated by him, seeing him as a larger-than-life character akin to some of La Liga’s more famous club presidents.       QUOTE OF THE WEEK "Which club was the team of the regime?" A remarkable question that launched Real Madrid’s jaw-dropping video about Barcelona this week   Reading the game quiz Reading the game quiz Before Erling Haaland, since he will inevitably do it this season, six players had won the Premier League golden boot in their first season at a new club. Note: they can have played in the Premier League before and even won a golden boot before. The only requirement is that it was their first season at a club and they finished overall top scorer. ([You can find out the answers here](. 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